Tesla's first-quarter deliveries in China slump 22% to a 3-year low as it trails rival BYD
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The US carmaker delivered 172,754 cars from its Shanghai Gigafactory 3 in the first three months of the year versus 220,876 units in the same period a year earlier, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. The sales were also the lowest since the second quarter of 2022 when 122,100 cars were delivered. The deliveries include sales on the mainland and exports.
In March, deliveries jumped 157 per cent year on year to 78,828 units, after production of a refreshed Model Y was ramped up. On a monthly basis, deliveries fell 11.5 per cent from 89,064 units in February.
'Competition in the Chinese market remains fierce and Tesla's sales in its major markets outside China are stuck in a downward spiral,' said Phate Zhang, founder of Shanghai-based EV data provider CnEVPost.
Tesla's Gigafactory in Shanghai makes Model 3 and Model Y cars. Photo: Xinhua
Tesla has been losing market share to Chinese rivals such as
Xpeng and
Xiaomi since late last year, as consumers have been attracted to their lower prices and sophisticated intelligent features.
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Meanwhile, BYD, the world's top EV maker, extended its lead over Tesla in the pure EV category for a second quarter. Including hybrids, it has been dominant for 12 quarters. Shenzhen-based BYD delivered 416,388 units of pure EVs in the first quarter, an increase of 39 per cent from a year earlier, while sales of hybrids soared 76 per cent to 569,710 units.
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